EIU graduate and former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar is coming to speak at the next student government meeting on Wednesday in the Grand Ballroom.
Edgar was born in Vinita, Oklahoma, on July 22, 1946, and he attended EIU starting in 1964.
He serviced as the student body president before graduating in 1968 with a bachelor’s in history.
Edgar worked in the Illinois General Assembly as a legislative intern with the Republican leader of the senate William Russell Arrington.
Edgar ran for the Illinois House of Representatives in 1974 for the 53rd district, finishing third in the republican primary.
In 1976, Edgar ran for the seat again and won, and in 1978, Edgar won re-election to the seat.
Edgar would resign the position in April of 1979 after being appointed by Gov. James Thompson as the legislative liaison.
Thompson would name Edgar the Illinois secretary of state in early 1981 after Alan Dixon was elected to the Senate.
Edgar won re-election in 1982 and 1986.
His re-election in 1986 is noted as the largest margin of victory in an Illinois state election with Edgar getting 2,095,489 votes, 67.16% of the total. This would be the largest margin until Barack Obama’s 2004 senate win.
Edgar’s tenure as secretary of state saw him pursue laws on drunk drivers such as breathalyzer tests required to be given to people pulled over for suspicion of DUI or face suspension of their license. His platform led to him being put on the Presidential Commission on Drunk Driving by Ronald Reagan in 1982.
In 1989, Edgar began his candidacy for governor of Illinois after Thompson declined running for what would be his fourth term.
Edgar won the 1990 gubernatorial election with a nearly 2% margin of victory, beating then Attorney General of Illinois Neil Hartigan.
Edgar’s first term was focused on the fiscal problems facing the state, with Illinois facing an almost billion-dollar deficit.
His budgets were focused on cuts to nearly all aspects of the government’s spending besides education, which was given increased funding.
Edgar won re-election in the 1994 gubernatorial race with 63.87% of the vote and won 101 of the 102 counties in Illinois. He continued his fiscal policies and left office with Illinois having a $1.5 billion surplus.
Edgar planned to retire from politics after his second term. He supported his then Secretary of State George Ryan’s campaign for governor. Ryan would win and be governor until 2003.
After his career in politics, Edgar became a distinguished fellow at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
He established the Edgar fellow program in the University of Illinois system.
“Every year, up to 40 emerging leaders receive lessons, networking opportunities and training inspired by Edgar’s unique philosophy and leadership style,” according to Jim Edgar’s website.
The program has taught former and current members of Illinois government including Anna Moeller from the 43rd district and Teresa Ramos, the first assistant deputy governor for education.
Jason Coulombe can be reached at 581-2812 or at jmcoulombe@eiu.edu.
